Telekom Slovenije privatisation still uncertain

The Slovenian government’s sale of a majority stake in fixed and mobile operator Telekom Slovenije is still waiting to be restarted after a postponement earlier this year due to a general election. The privatisation is now on hold until a new Cabinet is approved by parliament following an election win by opposition candidate Miro Cerar. Cerar is known to be against the privatisation of what he terms ‘strategic assets’, though there has been some speculation that the new Cabinet may put forward a deal to split Telekom’s retail and network operations and hive off the retail business, while retaining control of the network infrastructure. It is expected that a new coalition government will be formed and a Cabinet selected by the end of September.

Offers for a 75.58% stake in Telekom Slovenije had been invited earlier this year, with around ten firms reported to have expressed an interest. The previous government had said it hoped to achieve a sale price of over EUR700 million (USD957 million) for the whole of Telekom, though this would obviously change should the business split go ahead.